as in tortured
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as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to
he was tormented by nightmares about the accident
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Recent Examples of tormented
Editorial, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
When pressured during the NFC Championship Game, Darnold completed 5-of-11 passes for 102 yards and three touchdowns, per Next Gen Stats, against the same Rams front that tormented him last year.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
For his work as the brilliant but deeply tormented London detective Luther, Elba won a Critics’ Choice Television Award, as well as a Golden Globe and a SAG Award.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026
James’ 2020 debut feature, Relic — a slow-burn chiller about three generations of women tormented by a presence in the family home — worked because the director never allowed her control of the material to slacken, even when the narrative was stretched a bit thin.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
Essie Davis plays Amelia, who struggles to raise her 6-year-old son, Sam (Noah Wiseman), as he's tormented by the titular humanoid storybook monster.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
Bishop is clearly still tormented by his role in convicting the men.
—Beandrea July, IndieWire, 29 Jan. 2026
Not because the full-court press tormented the Longhorns — Texas (11-7, 2-3 SEC) only turned the ball over eight times.
—David Eckert, Houston Chronicle, 18 Jan. 2026
Not because the full-court press tormented the Longhorns — Texas (11-7, 2-3 SEC) only turned the ball over eight times.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 17 Jan. 2026
Verb
His captors tormented him by saying that his family didn’t care about him.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
When pressured during the NFC Championship Game, Darnold completed 5-of-11 passes for 102 yards and three touchdowns, per Next Gen Stats, against the same Rams front that tormented him last year.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
For his work as the brilliant but deeply tormented London detective Luther, Elba won a Critics’ Choice Television Award, as well as a Golden Globe and a SAG Award.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026
James’ 2020 debut feature, Relic — a slow-burn chiller about three generations of women tormented by a presence in the family home — worked because the director never allowed her control of the material to slacken, even when the narrative was stretched a bit thin.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
Essie Davis plays Amelia, who struggles to raise her 6-year-old son, Sam (Noah Wiseman), as he's tormented by the titular humanoid storybook monster.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
Bishop is clearly still tormented by his role in convicting the men.
—Beandrea July, IndieWire, 29 Jan. 2026
Not because the full-court press tormented the Longhorns — Texas (11-7, 2-3 SEC) only turned the ball over eight times.
—David Eckert, Houston Chronicle, 18 Jan. 2026
Not because the full-court press tormented the Longhorns — Texas (11-7, 2-3 SEC) only turned the ball over eight times.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 17 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tormented
Adjective
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For the first time in their tortured history, the Mariners had a chance to avoid a losing record.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
27 Jan. 2026
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Over the years, Tatarsky has expanded the performance into a series of existential vignettes, introducing additional tortured artists who each confront the anxieties and absurdities of life in ways that feel both deeply personal and universally relatable.—
Eva Remijan-Toba,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Staffing shortages have plagued the grocery industry since the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Francesca Pica,
jsonline.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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Exploding power lines evoked the electrical outages that have plagued Puerto Rico in recent years.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Erica Moore, 46, who spent 11 nights in a hotel with her dog and two cats, said she was most frustrated by the poor communication from Nashville Electric Service.—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
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Still, the optics are deeply damaging for an already frustrated king and the Prince of Wales, multiple royal experts told Fox News Digital.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Trump has promised to help rescue the country’s persecuted protesters as thousands died.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
1 Feb. 2026
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During vetting by the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, refugees are required to show they were persecuted or face persecution in their home countries and, once in the US, must apply for green cards a year after admission.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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When teachers became the complaint Several cases described teachers discussing their own political views on the latest Israel-Hamas war in ways that state investigators said foreseeably made Jewish students feel uncomfortable, harassed or targeted.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
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The Broncos beat up, bruised, harassed and downright punished Herbert from the start.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Embarrassment could have been a factor in the rash decision, but Trump is not a man who appears to be afflicted by that particular emotion, which takes its cue from a certain amount of self-awareness and humility.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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Thus, taxpayers are often stuck financing underperforming government programs riddled with waste and outright fraud, as was the case in the recent $30 billion scandal that afflicted the state’s unemployment insurance program.—
Lanhee J. Chen,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Adams administration was besieged with corruption at every level—the Blackness of the perpetrators was of no solace.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, Don Lemon also enjoyed a standing ovation and was besieged by people all night to express their gratitude and support after he was arrested and charged for an anti-ICE protest just two days before.—
Rob LeDonne,
Rolling Stone,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Playing the harried mother of Macauley Culkin’s scheming son Kevin, O’Hara became a generation of moviegoers’ ideal image of a loving, concerned matriarch.—
Tim Grierson,
Rolling Stone,
30 Jan. 2026
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In 1990, she was cast in Home Alone as the harried mom of Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tormented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tormented. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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